The Ohio native, who rejoined the Cavs in 2014, tried to steal extra nights in Cleveland when the Heat played there, which was against the team’s conventions. Campaigning for his own travel rules put the team, coach and its president, Pat Riley, in an awkward position, according to Phil Jackson.

“When LeBron was playing with the Heat, they went to Cleveland and he wanted to spend the night,” the Knicks president told ESPN as part of a wide-ranging Q&A published Monday. “They don’t do overnights. Teams just don’t. So now [coach Erik] Spoelstra has to text Riley and say, ‘What do I do in this situation?’ And Pat, who has iron-fist rules, answers, ‘You are on the plane, you are with this team.’ You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland.

“I always thought Pat had this really nice vibe with his guys. But something happened there where it broke down. I do know LeBron likes special treatment. He needs things his way.”

Jackson suggested that James’ bolting started a domino effect that led to the team’s other face, Dwyane Wade, jetting for Chicago this offseason.

It was part of a breakup between Riley and Wade, who said he felt “disrespected” during contract negotiations. Jackson was surprised at the rift, saying Riley had always gotten along with his players.

“Pat has a terrific sense of what he wants to do,” Jackson said. “Now that I’m president, I have to read all this stuff about the league. Usually it’s ‘delete, delete, delete.’ But I noticed there was something about D-Wade and Pat’s communication breaking down the other day. I wondered about that. I found it surprising.”

As of early Monday night, James had not responded to the report. However, his business manager, Maverick Carter, was irked about Jackson’s word choice, taking issue with Jackson’s use of “posse.”